Metal strut components for a vehicle are well-known. Typically, a metal strut is mounted within the vehicle's architecture or body and is used to reinforce the vehicle's architecture or body. Additionally, the strut also provides a dampening function similar to a shock absorber and has the ability to control the transfer of and provide support for side to side vehicle loads.
Metal struts are typically formed from a process utilizing multiple die presses and/or a combination of die presses and roller machines. In particular, a metal sheet may travel through metal stamping dies which may pre-press mount holes and/or bend the metal sheet to form a part of the mount which may be later welded to another part or may form the entire mount after travel through multiple die stations. This manufacturing process can be very time consuming as a result of the part traveling through multiple machines or operational steps. Additionally, such manufacturing process may be very expensive depending on the number of machines which are purchased and operated to form the mount and/or require considerable floor space for the machines required to effectuate this process.
Thus, there is a need for a machine and process for forming a metal strut mount that produces such strut mounts more quickly and more cost efficiently than conventional machines or processes.